Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-07-28
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III.
Tad, who was stout-hearted and
swift-footed, rather unexpectedly con-
fronted Mr.. Jones on the pavement in
front of the restaurant, just as he was
hailing a bus. 81 say!'' cried Tad, ex-
citedly; "none of that, you know-give
me back my sachel!'
Mr.. Jones started, stared very hard
at Tad, as though he were trying to
| remember where he had seen him be-
| fore, and then looked at the sachel in
his hand. "Well, 1 declared he cx-
claimed, in seeming surprise, 81 must
have taken this up in a fit of abstrac-
ton and walked out, without thinking
of you at all, my lad"
Tad shrugged his shoulders. al
want my sachel," he said, stoutly, as a
little knot of people began to gather.
"Yoa1r sachel," repeated Mr.. Jones,
with shadowy sneer; "come, now,
| that's too
Sat your old games again, are you,
EdwardsP" interrupted quietly au-
thoritative voice. Its owner was a
small, thin-faced man, in citizen dress,
who, stepping forward as he spoke,
gently touched Mr.. Jones' shoulder, to
that gentleman's visible discontinue.
..Is this yours, boye" continued the
speaker, addressing Tad and touching
the sachel with the tip of small whale
| bone cane.
Tad nodded eagerly. Strictly speak
| ing, it was not his, but, for obvious
1 TaI h.,
| tons.
Hand it over" said the small man,
briefly, to Mr.. Jones, who complied so
promptly as greatly to astOnish Tad,
and then, obedient to a gesture from
him of the cane, the fraudulent Jones
vanished with considerable celebrity
round the nearest corner, while the
small man walked quietly away.
That's City-Detective Blossom-he's
been in our place lots of times" Tad
heard a telegraph messeager-boy in
form another, in awe-struck tones,
and, after admiringly watching the
small man out of sight, the two scam
pered off together.
| ''Strikes me that my friend Jones
won't get hold of this same little bag
as easy as he thought for" chuckled
Tad, unconscious that the gentleman
in question, with his hat pulled down
over his forehead like the villain in a
play, was watching his movements
from neighboring doorway.
But whittier should Tad turn his foot
steps? Uptown or downtown, Or
stop a minute! The sachel must con-
tain something of more than ordinary
| value--a fact which the fraudulent
Jones had in some way discovered, else
why was he SO anxious to get posses
sion of it?
.'Chaps like him don't take the
chances on an empty bag" soliloquized
Tad, with a wise shake of the head,
land, accordin' to my way of thinking,
somebody'll be offering reward for
this bit of property before long"
Which reasoning resulted in Tad's
| investing half his stock of ready cash
in the purchase of three daily papers,
| in whose columns he hoped to find pos
sible mention made of the lost sachel.
The purchase itself decided he direc-
ton of his steps. He knew that along
most city wharves were sheltered and
sunny spots, where he could sit down
| and glance over his papers undis-
turbed by offcious policemen.
Having been duly directed by a
| sharp-voiced newsboy, Tad began max
ing his way wharfward, through a mar
row and not particularly inviting
street, known rs Lewis Lane. The
theory of cause and effect was visible
on every hand, in the shape of flourish
ing liquor-shops and miserable tene-
ments. Shabbily-dressed men lounged
on every corner, filing the air with
oaths and tobacco-smoke, while shrill-
voiced women gossiped in the door
ways and swarms of dirty children pad
died in the cutters.
Come, now-you give us that purpr'
said a threatening voice, and Tad